Lessons Learned: Communication studies in transition

Jobs of communication professionals are closely linked to transformations in society and therefore the role of these professionals is changing rapidly. Communication students must be prepared for the new demands put on communication professionals in the field. In Ede, a new curriculum in communication was launched in order to enable students to become relevant partners in dialog with society. We can identify three areas in the new curriculum where fundamental transitions have been made, in order to meet the expectations of a profession in transition: 1. Decentralization. In order to create an agile educational environment, we choose flatter structures and more autonomy for development teams (including budgets). Creating educational ownership improved knowledge sharing and idea generation among lecturers. 2. An agile curriculum. We renewed the content of the curriculum and added subjects as online reputation management, web care, training skills, and advanced listening. What’s more: from now on we invest to improve the curriculum every year, in cooperation with stakeholders. Students participate in focus groups about the curriculum and partners in the field are invited as cocreators. 3. The role of lecturers. The ongoing development of the profession has huge implications for the role of the teaching staff. The lecturer used to be the expert. He shared his knowledge with the newcomers, the students. Nowadays lecturers only add value if they continuously gain experience from practice. Therefore, we encourage teachers and students to learn together with partners in the communication field. Published in: Yearbook 2016, first edition 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited: Advances in Public Relations and Communication Management - Volume 2 - How Strategic Communication Shapes Value and Innovation in Society Emerald Publishing Limited: Volume 2, 91-103, 2017 / ISSN: 2398-3914/doi:10.1108/S2398-39142017000000200 Copyright: 2017 by Emerald Publishing Limited / All rights of reproduction in any form reserve